If you love a good story of hard work and determination getting someone exactly what they want, settle in because we just came across an good one. In February, a Reddit user who goes by the name BigBen2010, posted a plea to the /r/Chicago subreddit. You see, he has long been a huge fan of this lemon cake that used to be on the menu of Portillo’s, a Chicago-based fast-casual chain. According to BigBen2010’s Reddit post, the cake had been on the Portillo menu for decades, and about 10 years ago, it started to get harder and harder to find. Finally, it disappeared from all locations.
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
Ben explained that the official reason Portillos gave for removing the cake from its menu was that there was "an issue with the chemical stability of the lemon frosting." However, BigBen didn’t buy this excuse. He had long been wanting to find out the truth, and much more importantly, he longed to get his hands on a recipe so he could make the cake at home and finally tasted it again.
That’s why he posted on /r/Chicago a few months ago. He told the Reddit universe that he would give $300 (£235) to the first person who could find him the exact recipe for the Portillo lemon cake. Additionally, he offered an extra $30 (£23.50) to anyone who also knew the real reason for why the cake was no longer sold at the restaurant. He finished his plea, “This is open to anyone anywhere. I don't care if you're in the middle of the Sahara. I will get you $300 if you find me this cake and frosting.”
Fast forward four months to now, and there's a big announcement on the homepage of Portillo's website. It says, "Lemon cake is back!" Pretty unbelievable, right? Well, this news is no coincidence. According to Munchies, a Portillo's rep found out about BigBen2010's post and reached out to share the secret recipe with him. In the message, the rep wrote, "I wanted to let you know that because of your post and massive outpouring of inquiries for the lemon cake, we are strongly considering bringing it back for a seasonal limited time offer." So, this Redditor's wish came true and then some.
Portillo's official announcement that the cake was returning for a limited time says, "We heard you loud and clear — you miss the legendary lemon cake and have encouraged us to bring it back." The chain is really doing it and it gives total credit to Ben. The cake will be available at all locations until July 31. Important life lesson: if you're determined, anything is possible. (Or at least when it comes to limited edition menu items.)